Over the past year, the US State Department had repeatedly objected to the proposed Russian delivery of S-300 missile defense systems to Iran. One year ago, the issue first came up when as CNN reported then John Kerry raised objections with Moscow over a plan to sell advanced missile defense systems to Iran. The White House said Kerry made the US opposition clear in a phone call to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

It wasn't just Kerry: the Pentagon also expressed concern about the move, saying it was "unhelpful." At the time, Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren told reporters that "our opposition to these sales is long and public. We believe it’s unhelpful. We are raising that through the appropriate diplomatic channels."

Israel also chimed in and "expressed alarm" over Putin’s announcement that he was lifting the block on the transfer of the controversial weapons system to Tehran, against which both the US and Israel have lobbied hard. "There is concern that the S-300 would seriously complicate any attempt at military intervention against Iranian nuclear facilities" CNN reported.

A senior Israeli official told Haaretz on Monday night that the Kremlin briefed Israel on its decision a short while before announcing the move. The official said Israel is also worried components of the air-defense system will be transferred to Syria and Hezbollah, seriously hamstringing the air force’s ability to dominate the skies over Lebanon or Syria.

And yet, none of these formal diplomatic complaints resulted in anything. As Iranian media reported overnight, Russia has delivered the first part of an advanced missile defense system to Iran, starting to equip Tehran with technology that was blocked before it signed a deal with world powers on its nuclear program.

The S-300 surface-to-air system was first deployed at the height of the Cold War in 1979. In its updated form it is one of the most advanced systems of its kind and, according to British security think tank RUSI, can engage multiple aircraft and ballistic missiles around 150 km (90 miles) away.

In a recorded transmission, state television showed Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari telling a news conference on Monday: "I announce today that the first phase of this (delayed) contract has been implemented."

Ansari was replying to reporters' questions about videos on social media showing what appeared to be parts of an S-300 missile system on trucks in northern Iran.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari announced on Monday that the first phase of a contract with Russia on the sale of S-300 air defense missile system to Iran has been completed.

The first phase of the contract has run its course, Jaberi Ansari said at his weekly press briefing in Tehran on Monday, expressing the hope that all the phases of the deal will be implemented according to schedule.

The head of Russia's industrial conglomerate Rostec had said last month that Iran would take delivery of the first shipment of S-300 missile defense system in August or September this year.

"I think we will deliver the S-300 by the end of the year,” Sergei Chemezov said on March 11. “The first delivery will be in September or August.” Chemezov also said that Iran has stressed it is only interested in purchasing S-300 PMU-1.

“They (Iranians) gave the conditions, and said they need only an S-300 PMU-1. We suggested an Antey-2500, but they said no, give us the S-300," he said

On February 17, Russian media reported that the first consignment of S-300 surface-to-air missile defense systems was to be delivered to Iran on February 18. However, one day later, Russia’s Defense Ministry dismissed the reports and said there were still some issues that needed to be resolved.

Under the previous contract signed in 2007, Russia was required to provide Iran with at least five S-300 defense system batteries. But the contract, worth more than $800 million, was revoked after then-President Dmitry Medvedev banned the supply of those systems to Tehran in 2010.

Later, Iran lodged a $4 billion lawsuit at an international court in Geneva against Russia’s arms export agency. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin decided in April 2015 to lift the self-imposed ban on the S-300 missile system delivery to Iran.

While the U.S. military has said it has accounted for the possible delivery of the S-300 to Iran in its contingency planning, Israel is sweating now that any attack on Iran's nuclear centers, or elsewhere, can result in an immediate counterattack.

Finally, to confirm receipt of the first S-300 system, Iran released the following video clip.

The reason I reckon they want the S-300PMU-1 is because it closely resembles their own Bavar 373, I suspect they will be looking to reverse engineer/merge it with their existing work and then mass produce it in a way the Russians can't tell if it's reverse engineered or not to prevent licensing issues.

It's most probably one of several S400s already deployed. I had to laugh about the S400 arrivals in Syria. The Ruskies have had Onxy class missiles deployed in Syria for over a decade, with Ruskie launch crews. The late Joe Vialls (ex Mossad) covered this deployment in great detail at the time. The Ruskies have had a "glass Israel' option all that time. The arrival in Syria of the massive long range Russan nuclear warhead last week is to put the Saudis in their place too, it's pointing at Riyadh, ancestral home of the Saudi clan.

All indications and public statements are that Iran has bought the S-300 not the S-400. Given the publicly acknowledged, by Russia, delay in payment by Iran, this is likely the first system to arrive.

The coastal defence Bastion systems, with their P-800 Onyx missiles have been in Syria for at most 5-6 years. They are a 150 mile range anti-ship optimised missile with a 250Kg warhead. It is hardly a 'glass Israel' option as you describe it.

As to the last comment, there is no evidence whatsoever that the Iskander system(s?) now in Latakia is nuclear armed. Given its range is at most 300 miles, its likely targeting is against a possible Turkish Army invasion, the prospect of which has gone very quiet since its arrival, it is highly likely they have an area denial cluster munition or similar warheads.

The likelihood of Russia putting a nuclear weapon, the presence of which it could not hide from the US/Israel, in Syria is highly remote as they have plenty ship or aircraft borne capability. As to pointing at Israel or Saudi targets, that is pure fear mongering.

Actually what they are telling us is that some components of the system have shown up, maybe not even the electronics, and the missiles themselves STILL have not been provided. This contract was signed in 2007, Putin has refused to honor it and yet has repeatedly every few months brought it up as a threat (to deliver). There is no reason it should not be there (but it is not) or that the missiles were not actually delivered other than Putin.

The Russian (Putin) claims that Iran did not want delivery of the more modern system is nonsense and a lie. Now we have to wonder if the components are actually a few parts of a detuned S300 of limited capacity. Putin - please explain the logic under which a country (Iran) under threat would not choose the more modern systems. At this time this reads just as another psyopp with no true missiles being made operational. Most likely intent is to cause the US to question the use of the B52"s directly over Iran, without giving Iran the ability to actually shoot one down.

Even if detuned S300's ever get delivered it would be some improvement.

It looked a full system on those trucks, albeit it looked as if there were only 4 missile canisters. Which may have been empty but that seems unlikely. Exactly what spec they are will probably remain State secrets.

Even the article talks about components and not a full system. For all you know there is nothing in any of the canisters or boxes. The objects under the tarps could be nothing but painted sheetmetal.

This has been going on since 2007 with Russia/Putin refusing to honor the contract. There is no reason to take Putin at his word now. And you now who else contracted with Russia for the S300 in 2007 - Syria. And Putin to this day refuses to honor that contract even while he watched Syria be destroyed. The only S300/S400 in Syria are close to Russia's bases and under Russia's control.

Our nation starts the wars and tells everyone they can't defend themselves. We disagree with them having defenses in case we have to bomb them. We have a long opposition to the giving away of these missile defense systems...

Point was: to allow Iran to arm itself with nuclear missiles so that Russia can make millions supplying them, and to allow Iran to oversupply oil markets to destroy domestic US oil production. Winning.

Point was to show that Pootie loves the head choppers who rule with the same style that Pootie employes. The more evil the Iranian Mullahs seem to be, it makes Pootie seem better.

The serious economic damage is being administered to the Pootie economic collapse. Those kleptocrats have no other source of real income. That is why Pootie just took personal control of about 170,000 troops. He needs a large palace guard to hang on to the office.

The most effective way to deter war is to balance the forces of the opposing sides. Once Iran has the capability to deny access to its airspace bywarplanes and misiles from the Americans and Israelis, the risk to the potential attackers become too great to contemplate. On the other side, the Israelis -with American funding- have developed the most rigorous anti-access/area denial system to be found anywhere. The capability of Iran to effectively penetrate such a defense has never been very likely to be successful.